Thick fans/Crap team says London journo

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Newcastle fuel another bout of wishful thinking

Newcastle United 1 Lokeren 0 (Newcastle won 5-0 on aggregate)

Michael Walker at St James' Park Monday July 23, 2001 The Guardian

The notion that those who follow Newcastle United inhabit a parallel universe in which the reality of their club's situation is always confused with a new dawn was strengthened on Saturday night. The simple fact that nearly 30,000 people turned up for a second leg after the first had been won 4-0 in Belgium is in itself perverse evidence of the confusion. Clubs of the stature of Valencia and Juventus have appeared in the InterToto Cup in the past three seasons yet this was a record turnout for the tournament, in what was only was the third round of five.

This again reinforced the idea that Newcastle in 2001, perhaps more than any other club in England, are the sum of their fans' wishful thinking. "An absolutely fabulous crowd," said the manager Bobby Robson. "It's a unique area up here. I adore the crowd. That's what this club is all about."

All well and good. Except that there is not much more.

Take away Alan Shearer, and injury may do so until September, and take away Kieron Dyer, and Leeds United may do so by Christmas, and what is left is a playing staff without the capability to challenge for anything more than mid-table safety. Only the stone-hearted would not feel sympathy for Robson.

Anywhere else this would be the cause of profound agitation. But the hierarchy trampled quickly on reports last week that there had been a form of supporter backlash in the shape of abnormally slow season-ticket sales, and the crowd on Saturday suggested that a disproportionate amount of optimism was derived from the first-leg result. Maybe they are waiting until Manchester United and Liverpool arrive in September before crying "Sack the board".

Or maybe they will be doing so by midweek. On Wednesday night Newcastle play 1860 Munich in the Olympic stadium in the next round. Presumably the Germans will offer more questions than their Belgian counterparts, even if 1860 finished 11th in the Bundesliga, 19 points behind their neighbours Bayern.

Victory over two legs would leave Newcastle in one of the InterToto's three finals, but that cannot be guaranteed after this performance. Sluggish, somewhat understandably, against dismal opponents, a contest that petered in was won courtesy of the £6m Craig Bellamy's first goal in black and white, a close-range finish on the hour.

Still, the majority trooped off happy to have witnessed a win and a clean sheet. For the neutral the concern is that these people will soon have their faith, self-perpetuated by their sheer numbers, exposed as an illusion. This could be a long season at Newcastle. And not just because it started in July.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Answers

Spot on article!

We're gonna struggle this season if we play like we did on saturday...the fans are great but that's not gonna make the season any better....

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001


Maths the London Journalist way -

29 000 crowd in the intertotocup = wishful thinking

29000 in the League cup equals fickle/part time supporters.

Hmmmmmmmmmm

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001


i know Michael Walker and he lives in Newcastle (or did). He's an ok bloke, but a typical journo in that he will always search for the negative angle. But his words are not that outlandish here. Sorry guys, but we were y fronts. BUT it was a pre seasoner...

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

I was impressed that Villa got 21000

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

I thought I read in the paper that villa got 27??

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001


Surely, 21000 looks (slightly) more likely then 27. Well perhaps not - it was Villa. :-)

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

I don't think there's any doubt that Saturdays match was a poor pre season type friendly. We wil get better, hopefully by wednesday night when there is something to play for NUFC can prove that next season we will be a force to be reckoned with. As for the 29,000 turning up, we surely have some of the best suporters in the world and there's little doubt that we'll be close to having a capacity crowd each game next season.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Aston Villa got 27,580 on Saturday. Maybe the lack of Euro Champs or World Cup has more to do with it than quality of the fans. I know we are better than bloody Villa, a damn sight more than 2,000 fans as well.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

Point is, we normally get beaten by or struggle against teams like that in pre-season and in fact, didn't shatter the universe against Leyton Orient in the Worthington last season. It was a young side we had out there on Saturday and we are without some of our best players - the local papers are excusing the Makems getting beaten by Mansfield on the grounds that a few players were missing. As for us bawling when we have to play the likes of Man United - well, we normallly manage to get points off decent sides, it's the shite we struggle against, so the journo might have researched his story better.

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

The Guardian always has a negative angle on NUFC. Their main football writer David Lacey (Man U fan) never fails to have a dig in whatever article he's writing.

The truth is - we are not, nor have we been, a popular team. I have siad this before but I'll say it again, the bias of football writers knows no boundaries and is apparent in all the article you read.

As for the above article - I was furious when I read it. Basically says we are stupid for turning up. Is football not about supporting your team, through thick and thin? Has the idiot Walker forgotten this?

Is their an e mail address? If so I will send him my views!!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001



If so I will send him my views!!!!!!!!!

As long as one of them isn't of you bending over facing away from the camera. :-)))

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001


Sorry?

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

My guess is that emails/letters from annoyed fans is meat and drink to them...

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

.... then try sending them some 'meat & drink'. ;-{)

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001

a nags head and a bowl of blood?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 2001


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